Maryland ban on arsenic in chicken feed to spread?

Maryland is set to become the first state in the nation to outlaw chicken feed additives containing arsenic - but it won't be the last, if environmental activists have their way.

Captive dolphins have less toxic mercury than wild animals

People aren't the only ones at risk from eating mercury-contaminated fish, since coal-burning power plants have liberally sprinkled the toxic metal across the earth's waters.  But it appears that captive dolphins have a little less to worry about in that regard than their wild counterparts.

Most Marylanders support bringing elk back, survey finds

The hunter-backed effort to bring wild elk back to western Maryland is gaining some steam, though fierce resistance remains in key quarters.

Solar power growing in Mid-Atlantic

Solar power is gaining a toehold in the Mid-Atlantic region. 

Chesapeake Bay historic trail expanding

The 3,000-mile water and land trail network created to relive the Chesapeake Bay's 17th century exploration by English colonists is about to grow still larger.

Mid-Atlantic flounder stock declared rebuilt

In a bit of good news for Maryland anglers, the federal government has declared the mid-Atlantic stock of summer flounder fully rebuilt after years of catch restrictions meant to curb overfishing.

Potomac named America's most endangered river

The Potomac River, which flows between Maryland and Virginia, was named the nation's "most endangered" waterway today by a Washington-based environmental group.

Gansler eyeing lawsuit over menhaden catch limits

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler says he's considering going to court if the interstate panel that regulates Atlantic coast fishing for menhaden doesn't cut back enough the catch of a Virginia-based fleet that takes the lion's share of the forage fish.

Saved from bulldozer, UM 'hillock' teems with life

Harvard University has a research forest.  So does Duke.  Yale has multiple forests.  The University of Maryland has “the wooded hillock." a 24-acre patch of trees at the northern tip of the state's flagship public campus.

USDA offers Frederick County farmers help reducing pollution

Farmers may be leery of anyone from the federal government promising help, but here's one offer that sounds too good to refuse.

Land conservation conference looms

Representatives of land trusts and conservation groups are expected to gather May 15 in Columbia for a statewide conference on the challenges of saving land in Maryland.

New farm rules curb manure, sludge use to help Bay

New farm regulations being aired this week by Maryland officials would ease first-ever limits on how, when and where the state's farmers can spread animal manure and sewage sludge on their fields.

Bids being taken for community gardening awards

B'more Green generally stays away from touting commercial products or companies, largely because we lack the time or resources to vet them.  But my green-thumbed colleague Susan Reimer passed this along, and it seemed too worthwhile to ignore:

Rare wildflower saved to bloom another day

Spring is a little showier around here these days, thanks to the efforts of plant specialists at the University of Maryland, College Park.  The staff at UM's Arboretum and Botanical Garden have tracked down and rescued or preserved dozens of patches of an increasingly rare wildflower known as the sundial lupine.

Meetings begin on MD's climate plan

Maryland environmental officials are staging a series of public meetings, beginning today, to get public input on the state's plan to reduce climate-altering pollution.

Emails show O'Malley's close ties to Perdue lawyer

A series of emails between Gov. Martin O'Malley and Perdue's corporate lawyer shows what an environmental group calls a "cozy relationship" between the two law school classmates as Maryland's chief executive weighs farm pollution regulations of concern to the Salisbury-based poultry producer.

Hopkins grabs rays from campus rooftops

College students are gluttons for catching rays - now schools are getting in the act, too.

Oyster planting season begins

Spring's time for planting more than flower and vegetable gardens.  it's oyster planting time, too.

Weekend: Climate "dots", invasive weed pull, urban gardening and more

The upcoming weekend is chock-full of green activities. Here are just some:

Bay pollution trading stirs mixed feelings

Could pollution "trading" really shave billions of dollars from the costs of restoring the Chesapeake Bay?  Or would the long-running cleanup effort suffer at the hands of those looking to make a buck on it?

Chesapeake Bay Foundation to appeal Sparrows Point ruling

Environmental groups are appealing a federal judge's ruling that the owners of the Sparrows Point steel mill need only do a limited search for offshore pollution from the plant.

EPA keeps heat on to reduce summer smog

Just in time for the start of ozone season, the Environmental Protection Agency officially reminds us that Baltimoreans are still breathing unhealthful levels of pollution in their air in late spring and summer.

Horseshoe crabs holding own near Ocean City

With another spawning season about to begin, horseshoe crabs appear to be hanging on in Maryland's coastal bays, despite limited habitat for their annual reproductive reunion.

Developer reviving big housing project in W MD?

A controversial big housing development in western Maryland that was reported last fall to be shelved apparently has new life.

Weekend: Go plant something or take a hike

With spring here, lots of green things to do this weekend.